Fateful Encounters
by Lisa Moulton
Summary: Stranded a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Lisa gets introduced to someone who would make her forget all her problems.
1. Lost in Space

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Author's** **Notes: This is one of the stories I'd wanted to write for a while. I'd actually started before I got married. Originally completed in time for _Star Wars_' 30th anniversary.**

**Trivia and In-Jokes: ****AL went the way of her friend, the Doctor, and rescued her ship from the scrapheap like he rescued the TARDIS. The ****guessing at a translation came from Luke constantly guessing Artoo's speech in the** **novel _Truce at Bakura_.**

_Chapter One: Lost in Space_

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

A junker of a ship drifted through space, its engines sounding like they were about to die at any moment. The thing was impossibly old and the bolts keeping the hull from coming loose were slowly undoing themselves.

The owner of the ship was in a foul mood, mostly because of the state of the thing. While she knew it would be a "fixer-upper", especially since she'd rescued it and the droid, literally, from the scrapheap, she was under the assumption that the mechanics she'd taken it to had made sufficient repairs.

Evidently, those assumptions had been false.

"Stop throwing sparks at me, you useless pile of scrap! Shorty, shut up…I don't care if that _is_ where I found you."

Lisa plopped herself into the pilot's chair, which wobbled dangerously as it took her weight, and sighed, irritated. The WED Treadwell droid beside her warbled in its binary code language.

She didn't understand the droid, but she could guess at the translation.

"I'm just hoping this bucket of bolts will get us to a repair station before it dies completely," she said.

As if to go against her, the controls dimmed out for a moment before returning to their normal illumination.

"Don't you dare…" Lisa warned the ship.

The ship bucked as the engines spluttered and coughed, making much more noise than usual.

"Dammit!" she swore. "Shorty, try to get just a little more power to the _Shuttle_…we can't be far from a repair station…can we?"

The droid, whom she'd dubbed "Shorty" for reasons unknown, hooked one of its manipulator arms into the ship's systems. Whatever he said next, Lisa knew it was bad news.

"No, no, no!" she shouted as the ship jerked and bucked again, the engines emitting a loud whine. "Don't you dare!" She kicked the panel, which shot sparks out in retaliation.

Lisa growled as the engines finally sputtered and died, leaving them adrift in space.

Rubbing her forehead, sighing, she said, "Shorty, send a distress call."

_End chapter one._


	2. Search and Rescue

**Trivia and In-Jokes: Frequent readers and people who know me know that "Jedi Ben" is the character of my ex. This is the first time in his timeline he's met AL, however, this is the fourth time she has encountered him.**

_Chapter Two: Search and Rescue_

If Lisa's _Shuttle_ had seen better days, than the ancient Starfighter that was traveling not far from it was worse. The hull no longer gleamed in the light of the stars around it and the symbol that had once been prominent on its wing and tailfin were no more than a mere memory. It was, in essence, a shadow of its former self, even though its pilot did his best to keep it in working order.

Benjamin Del Ponte, one of the last remaining Jedi, rubbed a crick in his neck as his Starfighter trundled along, lugging its hyperspace booster. His truncated astromech droid – R4-P5 – beeped at him. It was picking up a distress call.

"Patch it through," he said.

Static filtered through the communications system, followed by a female voice.

_"Is this thing on? Oh_…_if anyone can hear me, I'm adrift in space at coordinates – "_ There was a burst of static followed by spatial coordinates.

"That's not far. R4, set a course."

The droid beeped an affirmative and the old Starfighter banked to the new location.

"Notify me when we're close enough for communication."

Within a few minutes, Ben could see the stranded ship through the cockpit window and could see why it had broken down. In fact, he was surprised it had run at all.

R4 beeped and the readout display that translated for him told Ben that they were in communications range.

"Ship in distress," he said. "I've come to help."

There was silence, static, then the same female voice. _"I swear, this is the last time I get a ship from a junkyard_…_Where's the communications thing?_..._Oh, it's already on?_..._Uh, hello? Anyone out there?"_

Ben tried hard to keep from laughing. "Yes. I got your distress call and came to help."

_"About time! Is there somewhere I can get repairs done?"_

"Sure is. I can tow you, if you like."

_"No, I'd rather you leave me out here to rot,"_ came the sarcastic reply. _"Your voice sounds familiar_…_who are you?"_

"My name is Benjamin," he said as he maneuvered the Starfighter into position.

The girl was silent for a minute, then he could hear her speaking quietly. _"No_…_no, it can't be_…_"_

What was she talking about? Shrugging, he asked, "What's your name?"

_"Lisa,"_ she answered after another brief pause. _"Is that you?"_ she asked as his Starfighter swung into her view.

"Yes, it is. R4, get the tow cable ready."

_"Oh, no_…_"_ she said quietly. _"Uh_…_do you mind my asking_…_what's your last name?"_

Puzzled, he answered, "Del Ponte, why?"

A loud burst of static sounded over the speakers. Was it his imagination, or was there a broken string of curse words behind it? He sensed great anger and annoyance, but he wasn't sure why.

_"Dammit, no! Why you? Why now?"_

Now thoroughly confused, he asked as his droid launched the tow cable, "Do we know each other?"

There was much grumbling on the other end, then, _"Wait a sec_…_you don't_…_of course! They're not in synch!"_ She started laughing, which confused him more. _"Nah,"_ she said finally. _"You don't know me. Shorty, cut the transmission_…_I don't care, just – "_ The connection abruptly went dead.

"Okay…R4, let's get her to Tatooine."

_End chapter two._


	3. Trying to Ditch the Dodo

**Trivia and In-Jokes: Trying to Ditch the Dodo is a line from _The Lion King_. The lines ****"_No one_ knows that." "You do." is a little homage to _Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home_, when Gillian says that no one knows the whale, Gracie, is pregnant and Spock responds, "Gracie does."**

_Chapter Three: Trying to Ditch the Dodo_

Lisa was very glad that Ben didn't remember her. The guy had been a thorn in her side since they first met, always dropping in on her life when she didn't want him to. She'd almost forgotten that their timelines weren't in synch with each other, so this was the first time _he_ had met _her_, just not the other way around.

He towed her to a planet named Tatooine to the settlement of Anchorhead. They touched down at a place called Tosche Station, where both the _Shuttle_ and Shorty were being looked over by the head mechanic who identified himself as Fixer.

She didn't need any powers to know what Ben was thinking – she couldn't read his mind, anyway. He was curious as to her attitude towards him. She was doing everything she could to not interact with him, but curiosity about what she'd said over the communications channel kept bringing him back.

They were both standing by while the mechanics checked her droid and ship.

"Come on," he said, trying once again to get her to tell him.

"Look, leave me alone," she said finally, annoyed. "Stop bugging me."

He just stared at her, making her very uncomfortable. She would probably have cracked if Fixer hadn't walked up, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Where the hell did you dig up that thing?" Fixer asked. "The droid, too. I'm surprised you got as far as you did."

Lisa crossed her arms. "From a junkyard. I know, I know. Is there any hope?"

"Oh, sure," said Fixer. "But it's not going to be cheap."

She shrugged. "Money's no object. Do what you have to."

"Okay, then." Fixer gave her a comm. chip so he could call her when the repairs were finished.

Lisa left the station and Ben was still tailing her. Anchorhead had a lot of different species roaming around, so she was half tempted to bring out her wings and take off if this guy wouldn't beat it and soon. She currently had them so only she could see them.

Noticing Ben still following her, she rounded on him. "Look, you're pissing me off. Leave me alone! Jeez, are all Jedi this persistent?"

That made him grab her arm and ask in a low voice, "How do you know that?"

Damn. So that _wasn't_ common knowledge. Double damn. "Let go…" she said, her eyes hard.

"Not until you tell me _how_ you know that. _No one_ knows that."

"You do. Let me go." His grip tightened a little. She glared at him. He was hurting her, but she wasn't going to tell him that. Finally, she relented. "You told me." He stared. "Our timelines aren't in synch. We've met before…it just hasn't happened to you yet. I can time travel. Now, let me go!" She jerked her arm out of his grip. "Happy, now?"

_End chapter three._


	4. That Fateful Encounter

_Chapter Four: That Fateful Encounter_

Unfortunately, telling Ben the truth meant he _still_ wouldn't leave her alone. While a part of her was glad for a familiar face in alien surroundings, the other part was still annoyed that he wouldn't go away.

He, at first, insisted that he didn't believe in time travel, but then she told him a few choice tidbits she'd learned about him. It was enough to convince him to be at least open to the idea.

"Stubborn as ever," she quipped under her breath.

He either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her. She didn't know, nor did she really care. He wound up showing her around Anchorhead until the comm. chip beeped, signaling that she should return to the station.

Upon entering, she noticed Fixer speaking to a dark-haired woman and a blonde guy with his back to her. She noted to herself that that wasn't such a bad view until Fixer came over to her, effectively blocking her line of vision.

_Damn,_ she thought. Eying Fixer, she asked, "Well, are they a hopeless case, or what?"

"Well, the damages _were_ pretty extensive. I'm still not done, actually. I only called you back to tell you that it may take a little longer. I hope you have somewhere to stay."

"I'll find a place. How long, do you think?"

"Hard to say," answered Fixer. "Keep that comm. chip on you. Whoever had that ship before you did some weird jerry-rigging and cross-connecting."

Lisa frowned. "Probably the guys I had fix it in the first place. How about Shorty? Um…my droid."

"Not too bad. I have some spare manipulator arms handy to replace the ones that don't work. Give me a little while. I'll get 'em working."

"Okay, then."

Fixer went back to work and she noticed Ben had walked off and was speaking to that blonde guy, who _still_ had his back to her. Ben noticed her admiring the view, as it were, and walked over. The blonde chose that moment to turn around and Lisa almost had to scrape her jaw off the floor.

He was incredibly handsome, his eyes a delicate, ice blue. He was a few inches taller than she was, though shorter than the six-foot-six Ben. He was wearing a loose, baggy tunic and work boots, all covered in a fine layer of sand. It didn't matter to her.

"_Who_ is that hunk of tall, blonde and gorgeous?" she asked Ben.

He looked mildly affronted. "He's just a friend of the head mechanic. No one, really."

"Bull. You were talking to him."

"I met him before, that's all."

"Great. So you can introduce us."

"What? No."

"I'm gonna meet him with or without your help." She started over to the attractive blonde to do just that and Ben grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

Ignoring the icy glare she shot him, he said reluctantly, "All right…" He led her over to him, where he was examining a set of tools on a workbench.

"Luke? This is Lisa."

The blonde – Luke – turned around. He saw Lisa and smiled. _Wow,_ his thoughts said. The feeling was entirely mutual.

"Hi," said Lisa, extending her hand. "Tell me…just how reliable is this Fixer guy? That ship and droid are all I have on this overgrown sand dune."

Luke shook her hand. "He's the best mechanic this side of Beggar's Canyon."

"That's a compliment!" Fixer shouted, overhearing, from underneath the _Shuttle_, waving a wrench in their general direction.

"Then my ship is in good hands. Good. I'd hate to be stuck here. Unless I had a reason to stay." She could practically hear Ben roll his eyes.

Luke seemed to take the bait. "Do you…want to go for a walk? I could show you around."

Before Ben could say anything, Lisa said, "Absolutely."

_End chapter four._


	5. The Happy Couple

_Chapter Five: The Happy Couple_

Luckily, Ben didn't stick around once Luke and Lisa started sharing their attraction to each other. She suspected that, while he seemed to not mind annoying her, the added presence of Luke steered him away. Good.

They had walked around the settlement and were now sitting together under the shade of the station, just talking.

"I'm from a planet called Alnilam." Lisa was telling him.

"I've never heard of it," said Luke.

"I'm not surprised. It's in another galaxy."

"How'd you wind up here? I mean, not here as in Anchorhead, but here as in – "

"I know what you mean," she interrupted. "I have the ability to teleport from one place to another. If I don't have a particular destination in mind, it's random. I wound up here and found Shorty and the _Shuttle_. And I broke down in the middle of nowhere."

"I'm glad you did," he said, smiling.

She smiled, too. "Me, too."

"Why do you call him Shorty?"

Lisa shrugged and chuckled. "I've no idea. It just seemed to fit."

"Heh, that's like ours. Its nickname is Techie."

"What do you do?"

"My uncle's a moisture farmer. He and my aunt raised me for as long as I can remember. I help out. You?"

Lisa shrugged. "I just travel a lot. I only go home once in a while."

"Must be hard on your family."

She looked away. "I don't have one. They died in a war."

Luke put his arm around her. "I'm sorry."

She smiled softly. "It's okay. I would've outlived them all, anyway." At Luke's confused look, she explained, "I'm immortal."

"Oh." He gently stroked one of her wings, which she had made visible to him earlier, and changed the subject for her. "These are amazing."

Lisa grinned and stretched them out, wrapping them around them both, effectively blocking out the outside world.

"I know it sounds crazy," said Luke, "but it feels about ten degrees cooler."

"That's because it is. They absorb the heat around them and radiate it back when I make them. You can't see it in the suns, but they glow, too."

"Absolutely amazing…" he said, his voice trailing off as his ice blue eyes locked onto her brown ones.

"You have really pretty eyes," said Lisa. "For as long as I live, I will never forget your eyes."

"I'll never forget _you_." Luke brought one hand up to brush a stray hair from her face. Her skin tingled at his touch.

"I don't think I'll be going anywhere…"

Right there, in the shade of Tosche Station, beneath Lisa's wings, she and Luke shared their first kiss.

**_POP!_**

_End chapter five._


	6. A Little Adjustment

**Trivia and In-Jokes: The line "I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of him." is completely true. She just doesn't know it yet.**

_Chapter Seven: History in the Making_

Lisa hadn't seen Ben since she started hanging out with Luke. Once again, she felt torn. Part of her was glad; the other part was a little worried. She wasn't feeling in the mood to dwell, however. Being with Luke made her very happy and she hadn't been that happy in a very long time.

Luke took her to meet his aunt and uncle. She instantly sensed a definite difference in personality between Owen and Beru Lars. While his uncle seemed to be hard and callous on the outside, within he only wanted what was best for his nephew. His aunt, in contrast, was soft-spoken and gentle. Lisa took an immediate liking to her.

He showed her around the moisture farm, including the garage where he kept his T-16 Skyhopper.

"You race that thing?" she asked.

"Yep!" said Luke. "Around Beggar's Canyon and we do target practice with the womp rats."

"Sounds dangerous."

Luke shrugged. "Risk is what makes it fun."

"Right…"

It took four days for Fixer to repair the _Shuttle_ and Shorty. In the interim, although Luke tried very hard to get his aunt and uncle to let Lisa stay with them, she wound up staying at a small hotel-like business. It wasn't pleasant, however, once the ship was done, she had no qualms about moving in there.

Both Luke and Fixer eyed Lisa when she paid the mechanic for the repairs – Luke mentioned later that he had talked Fixer into dropping the price a little – wondering just how she got the money. She wasn't about to tell them, however. All she would do when they'd ask was smile.

Lisa moved her ship next door to Luke's home. While he was eager to do a little space traveling, family loyalty kept him from going too far. Shorty started helping out on the farm, getting Lisa on Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's good sides.

Once in a while, Lisa would get the feeling she was being watched, mostly when she was alone and waiting for Luke to join her for whatever activity they had planned. She finally found the culprit a week after she and Luke had declared themselves to be a couple.

Ben was standing behind one of the _Shuttle_'s engines.

"What do you want?" she asked icily.

"Just seeing how you were," he replied.

"I'm perfect. I have my droid and my ship and a wonderful guy who loves me. And I love him."

"I see. I'm happy for you."

She doubted it, but she didn't say that. "Luke's gonna be out soon. He's taking me to dinner. So I suggest you scram."

Was it her imagination, or did he look…kind of hurt? There was an odd look in his eyes.

"I'll see you around…" said Ben, starting to walk away.

Lisa hemmed for a second, then shouted, "Hey!" When he turned around, she said, "Thanks for the tow and the tour and for introducing Luke to me."

He managed a small smile. "You're welcome."

"See ya."

Ben disappeared just as Luke came out of the homestead.

"Was that Ben?" he asked, kissing Lisa in greeting.

"Yeah. He's acting weird, even for him. I dunno. I wouldn't worry about it. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of him."

_The End_


	7. History in the Making

Fateful Encounters--CH07--History in the Making

_Chapter Seven: History in the Making_

Lisa hadnt seen Ben since she started hanging out with Luke. Once again, she felt torn. Part of her was glad; the other part was a little worried. She wasnt feeling in the mood to dwell, however. Being with Luke made her very happy and she hadnt been that happy in a very long time.

Luke took her to meet his aunt and uncle. She instantly sensed a definite difference in personality between Owen and Beru Lars. While his uncle seemed to be hard and callous on the outside, within he only wanted what was best for his nephew. His aunt, in contrast, was soft-spoken and gentle. Lisa took an immediate liking to her.

He showed her around the moisture farm, including the garage where he kept his T-16 Skyhopper.

You race that thing? she asked.

Yep! said Luke. Around Beggars Canyon and we do target practice with the womp rats.

Sounds dangerous.

Luke shrugged. Risk is what makes it fun.

Right

It took four days for Fixer to repair the _Shuttle_ and Shorty. In the interim, although Luke tried very hard to get his aunt and uncle to let Lisa stay with them, she wound up staying at a small hotel-like business. It wasnt pleasant, however, once the ship was done, she had no qualms about moving in there.

Both Luke and Fixer eyed Lisa when she paid the mechanic for the repairs Luke mentioned later that he had talked Fixer into dropping the price a little wondering just how she got the money. She wasnt about to tell them, however. All she would do when theyd ask was smile.

Lisa moved her ship next door to Lukes home. While he was eager to do a little space traveling, family loyalty kept him from going too far. Shorty started helping out on the farm, getting Lisa on Uncle Owen and Aunt Berus good sides.

Once in a while, Lisa would get the feeling she was being watched, mostly when she was alone and waiting for Luke to join her for whatever activity they had planned. She finally found the culprit a week after she and Luke had declared themselves to be a couple.

Ben was standing behind one of the _Shuttle_s engines.

What do you want? she asked icily.

Just seeing how you were, he replied.

Im perfect. I have my droid and my ship and a wonderful guy who loves me. And I love him.

I see. Im happy for you.

She doubted it, but she didnt say that. Lukes gonna be out soon. Hes taking me to dinner. So I suggest you scram.

Was it her imagination, or did he lookkind of hurt? There was an odd look in his eyes.

Ill see you around said Ben, starting to walk away.

Lisa hemmed for a second, then shouted, Hey! When he turned around, she said, Thanks for the tow and the tour and for introducing Luke to me.

He managed a small smile. Youre welcome.

See ya.

Ben disappeared just as Luke came out of the homestead.

Was that Ben? he asked, kissing Lisa in greeting.

Yeah. Hes acting weird, even for him. I dunno. I wouldnt worry about it. I have a feeling we havent seen the last of him.

_The End_

Back Chapter Six Trivia and In-Jokes


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